The Long Road Home Job
by themindofmine
Summary: Eliot goes back to Kentucky to face a land baron set on getting all mining rights to the land in and around his home town including his mother's horse ranch and Kenna's family farm...  My Third installment in my Eliott's new life series.
1. Chapter 1

The Long Road Home Job

Chapter One

Nate stood at the bar. It had been nice taking a few days off but now it was back to the grind of saving the world one dirt bag at a time. Eliot came in. He didn't look all the happy to be there. Nate guessed him and Kenna were fighting again.

"Long three days off?" Eliot ordered a beer.

"You could say that." He took a long drag out of the bottle that was put in front of him.

"You want to sit this one out?" Nate asked.

"Nope." Always a man of few words Eliot turned and looked at Nate.

"Okay then. Client at three o'clock." The hitter shifted in his seat and looked at the man at the table to his left. He took a second look.

"That's our client?"

"You know him?" Nate asked.

"That's Kenna's brother Shane."

"As in Kenna Shane?" Nate looked at Eliot.

"He got to give her any middle name he wanted. He was six. He picked his." Eliot took a deep breath.

"Are you okay with this?"

"How did he find her?"

"He didn't. He found us. I didn't get much from the message but it has something to do with him going home to a town gone bad."

"Jodi never said anything about any trouble."

"It's because Jodi and Charlie moved six months ago." Kenna was standing beside Eliot. The girl had to stop hanging around Parker. "Charlie got a job on the Lexington Police Department."

"When were they going to tell me?"

"When you called." Kenna leaned against the bar. "I haven't seen Shane since he left Winchester." Kenna whispered. "Almost twenty years." Eliot looked at her.

"Are you okay?" She smiled.

"Yeah. I have to go to work. I just stopped to tell you Parker decided to paint my apartment so Topher's in yours."

"You brought your cat to my apartment?"

"Yeah well if you would stop chucking your throwing stars at my bedroom wall I wouldn't have to paint every other month. You two can fill me in when I get done with work." She kissed Eliot's cheek and headed out the door.

"She seems happier then you."

"Cause she knows it drives me nuts. Let's get this over with." They went to the table and sat in front of the man.

"Spencer?"

"Hawks."

"I didn't know…have you seen Kenna?" Eliot looked at Nate, than back at Shane.

"Not for awhile."

"I know she was home about three or four months ago. I was out of the country."

" Yeah…I guess your mom's new man took a shot at her."

"I heard. I also heard she fought back pretty damn hard." Eliot looked at the man.

"What's going on in Winchester?"

"I came back from a year out of the country and things were different."

"Different how?" Nate asked.

"People gone that I thought would never leave. Land bought up by big corporations that weren't around six months ago. I kept in touch with some friends and family from home but I didn't really get the whole picture till I came back last month." Eliot sat back and looked at the older man.

"Things change. The economy sucks everywhere. It could be they just lost faith and left."

"Kenneth Brauer owned the ranch a mile from yours. He bought that place straight out of high school. It was his pride and joy. He bought up a good chunk of your mom's land when she down sized six years ago. He owed nothing to the bank and yet he sold it for eighty cents on the dollar and up and left."

"People change Shane. It's been nearly twenty years since you were home."

"I came back last year and mended some fences with my mother and reconnected with a lot of people. Ken wouldn't have been run off unless there was something big behind it. There's a new mayor that no one's heard of and he's bringing Winchester to its knees." Eliot looked at Nate. Nate looked at Shane.

"Let me see what we can find and we'll let you know." Nate and Eliot stood. Shane did too. He shook Nate's hand as he left and then reached for Eliot's. The hitter didn't reach out.

"If you talk to Kenna, would you let her know I want to see her?" Eliot fought back the bile that was forming in his stomach. Shane saw what his sister's were put though but he did nothing about it. When he was old enough he left the family and never looked back. "I did what I could Eliot. Whatever you might think of me I did my best."

"Your sisters were sold by your old lady to the highest bidder and you left them. If Kenna never talks to you again it will be too soon." Eliot slammed his chair under the table and headed anywhere but there.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/

Parker was painting Kenna's bedroom her favorite shade of green. It took her forever to find out what Kenna liked but she finally figured it out. The sound of the front door opening made Parker freeze. The sound of keys hitting the kitchen counter made her start painting again. It was only Eliot. She could tell by the sound of footsteps.

"Hey Parker." She looked up.

"Hi. What's wrong?" She squinted and squished up her nose.

"New job. Old enemies."

"Someone who's got a price on your head?"

"Someone whose sister I slept with."

"Kenna's brother is our new job?" Eliot frowned.

"How…Kenna isn't…lever mind. Yeah."

"Does she know?"

"Yeah, she came to drop off the fur ball at my place before she went to work. He was there. She bolted before he saw her."

"What's the job?"

"Corrupt town."

"Same old, same old. You like the color?" Eliot looked at the walls.

"Sure."

"You have to like it too."

"No I don't. After the last job me and Kenna are…on and off." He leaned against the door. "More off than on lately."

"So that's why there are so many holes in the wall. You or her?"

"Both." Eliot looked ground the empty room. "Give me a call when you need to move the stuff back in." He started to leave.

"Don't give up on her Eliot." Parker said. He turned back to the thief.

"Don't worry Parker. You know giving up isn't my style." He saluted her and headed out the door.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Nate looked at Hardison's pulmonary findings on the mayor of Winchester, Kentucky. Everything looked okay on the outside but after further digging he found that the inside workings of the small town were a shambles and that property was being bought out by corporations at an alarming rate. Winchester was a sinking ship and no one was trying to bail it out.

"He can't be trusted." Nate looked up to see Eliot standing on the other side of the room.

"He seems clean. Ten years in the Marines…another five in the reserves. He's an engineer for a water purification company out of Georgia. They opened a branch in Lexington last year and he went to work there. Everything seems on the up and up."

"Yeah, well…his sisters were being sold right under his nose and he did nothing to stop it."

"Well there's that." Nate looked at his hitter. "I understand if you don't want to take this job."

"I called Jodi. She said my mom hasn't said much about what's going on in the town since her and Charlie left. They went for a visit last week and some of the stores were boarded up and some business looked a little run down. Mom wouldn't say much more then the ranch is paid for and she's not going anywhere."

"Do you think she'll be okay?"

"She's sixty Nate. If someone is scaring off the locals and buying the land it could only be a matter of time before they try something. She's down to twenty acres. The land she sold to Ken was just grazing fields for the horses. All mom has left is the house, the barn and a small pound she stocks with fish for my nephew to catch."

"Are you ready to go home?"

"Is anyone ever ready to go home?" He looked at the screen. "Take the job. Maybe some of the people in Winchester don't deserve to live happily ever after but then again some of them do."

"Should we bring in Kenna?" Eliot didn't move. He knew what happened the last time she went back to that place. If they didn't give her the choice there would be no living with the woman. Not that he was doing much of anything with her lately. He took a deep breath.

"You do what you want. She's a big girl and can make her own choices."

"It's worse than I thought." Sophie came in. "Do you two ever stop and wonder if it's really worth all this fighting."

"Ask me again tomorrow." He turned to Nate and Sophie. "I'll make dinner here and we can run this by everyone."

"Something wrong with your apartment?" Sophie asked with a smile. Eliot shook his head.

"Don't go there Soph. Don't go there." Eliot headed to the kitchen to lose himself in some really good pasta.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/

Eliot watched Kenna play with her food. It wasn't like her not to eat. He knew Shane being in town would rattle her to the core. He wished she chose to sit closer to him so he could make sure she was okay with them taking this job. She chose to sit across the table from him and drive him crazy.

"Okay so dinner is over and cocktails are served Nate. Are you going to tell me what my brother was doing here today?" She smiled. Eliot could tell it was forced.

"It seems Winchester has fallen under the spell of an evil land baron." Nate tried to ease into the job.

"And Shane is trying to save the town. I find that hard to swallow."

"Your brother met and is marring a local girl." Hardison hit the go button on his remote. "Cherri Kramer. Thirty-two. They met when your brother came home a little over a year ago. He works out of Lexington but wanted to commute from Winchester. He spent the last year in Germany setting up a water treatment plant. Cherri went with him. When they came back the town had a new mayor and it was slowly be bought up by corporations and small business was being run out of the town."

"Cherri always had a crush on Shane. She was smart enough to stay away as long as she did." Kenna looked at Eliot who looked angrier by the minute, if that was possible.

"Well her family is one of the few that hasn't sold out." Hardison pushed the button. Arial land photo's popped up. Four were in red. "The red land is what still belongs to its owners. Jon and Sara Kramer." Hardison stood and pointed to one red mass. "Clive and Olive Jordan." He pointed to another. Eliot stood and went to the screen.

"The other two belong to mine and Kenna's mothers. Both are theirs free and clear. Joelle owns forty acres, my mom twenty. They've bought up everything that's worth anything up from around them. The only one who doesn't own their land free and clear is the Jordan's. But they owe less than fifty grand on their sixty acres."

"Ken sold his land for eighty cents on the dollar but he still must have made a good sum of money because the land he bought from your mom was only good for grazing." Kenna stood up and looked at the map. "My mom's land is nothing but a dust patch. Not good enough for anything more than a rock pile."

"If big business is just buying it up why leave those four properties?" Parker asked.

"There have been rumors for years that there is copper, gold or coal under that land but no one has been able to afford to have it tested. Maybe this is how there are going to do it." Eliot looked at Nate.

"But those four properties are rumored to have the best chance of something under them." Kenna heard stories for years. She knew that her mama kept her payments up and her taxes paid for good reason. She told all her kids one day their land would be their salvation. She looked back at Nate. "We can easily get in there and see what's going."

"'We?'" Nate cocked his head.

"Eliot and me." She looked at Nate to Eliot. "Who would suspect two home town kids coming back for old time sake?"

"The fact that the last time I left I beat my mother's husband half to death and when you left your murdered a man." Eliot said through clenched teeth. Four sets of eyes looked at Kenna then Eliot. "I guess I forgot to mention the first part." He looked at his crew. "He hit me first."

"In Eliot's defense the bastard threw the first punch…and the second…and the third…"

"Kenna they get the picture. We can't go in there like some happy couple looking to renew old friendships." Eliot looked at Nate for conformation.

"What about coming home to sell old land?" Nate looked at the screen. "Hardison find any and all land that was owned at any time by Simon LaForce."

"What are you thinking Nate?" Eliot didn't like the way this was going.

"You said that LaForce might have been your father, right?" He looked at Kenna.

"Shane's, my sister Macie and mine…but there was no way of knowing."

"Hardison is going to do some expert DNA matches and you can claim anything and everything he owned outright when he died. Including any land he owned."

"But Nate that's nearly fifteen years ago."

"When you have a hacker on the payroll…anything's possible." Hardison said as he typed in some commands. "Okay he owned the local bowling alley and a summer home in Flatwoods."

"The bowling alley is the best bet. Even if it's gone now the land can still be claimed." Nate looked at his hitter. The man was more on edge then he'd ever seen him. "Eliot if this isn't working for you we can call it off." Nate knew when to say when and by the look on Eliot's face was any indication, when was five miles back.

"No. We do this; we get the bad guy and get the hell out. No friendly family reunions, no picnics in the park just set 'em up and knock 'em down." He looked at Kenna. She nodded.

"I don't plan on kissing and making up with anybody in Winchester." She took a deep breath. "So that's how me and Eliot are getting in. How about the rest of you?"

"You sure have gone and wiggled your way into our little party missy." Hardison laughed as he punched in a few more keys. "We got a million different ways and a trillion different games. No fear Kenna, we will have your back baby." Eliot growled at Hardison. "Why do you people get so tense when I say baby…gosh all mighty will you all loosen up." Kenna laughed. She went to the chair and grabbed her jacket.

"I got an early shift in the morning."

"You room isn't put back. I didn't have time before…" Parker said as Kenna headed for the door.

"No worries. I'll throw the mattress down on the floor. She headed over to Eliot's to get her cat.

"Are you going to talk to her?" Sophie asked Eliot.

"About what. She's going to do what she wants so why bother?"

"Because you're the only person who knows what this is going to do to her and she's the only one who knows what it's going to do to you. You both are going back to a place that brings back bad memories. Granted the two of you have worked them out but it's still going to be hard." He knew she was right. Grabbing his own coat he headed across the hall to see if he could catch Kenna.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

He didn't have to go far. Topher was lying on his bed and Kenna was sitting on its edge. She had run her fingers though her hair more than once and her eyes were red. Sliding down to the floor she leaned back and looked up at him.

"Do remember the last thing you said to your mom before you left home that night?"

"I think screw you might have been the nicest thing I said to her that night." He sat next to her on the floor.

"I asked my mom if she ever loved me." Kenna turned her head and looked at Eliot. "She said no." Turning her head back she laid against the bed. "I was eight when I head those words the first time pertaining to me."

"I remember. You gave Jodi that picture of the three of us up in the loft. You made that frame out of old barn boards you found. It was the best present she had ever gotten from a friend at that point."

"She hugged me till I turned blue and said 'Kenna Shane you are the bestest friend and I love forever." The last part Eliot said out loud too. "You were the only other person to say those words to me in all my sixteen years." She closed her eyes. "When I went there after the thing with Jimmy all mama said asked was if I married good and why I was there. When I left she asked me for twenty bucks."

"Then her boyfriend took a two by four to you." Kenna laughed.

"I almost forgot about that." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "I know we're fighting but I'm too damn tired to hall that fat cat across town. Can I sleep on your couch?" Eliot smiled.

"Darlin' I think that can be arranged." He got up and offered her his hand. Pulling her up then to him he held her close. "But there is no way you are sleeping on the couch." He kissed her. She didn't argue one single bit as he pushed her down on the bed. The fat cat lying there ran for cover. For a little while they would forget about family feuds and lovers squabbles and just enjoy each other.


	2. Chapter 2

The Long Road Home Job

Chapter Two

Kenna watched Eliot sleep. He looked so peaceful and harmless. She kissed his collarbone and slowly drifted lower. She felt his hand in her hair. She kissed down his chest. Her hands roamed over his chest as the kisses grew more intent. Eliot pulled Kenna back up to kiss her lips and rolled over pinning her to the mattress.

"You're going to be the death of me Kenna Shane." He whispered.

"Better me then some hired gun from Pakistan." She smiled. He chuckled.

"I think that might be the only country that doesn't have a price on my head." Kenna wrapped her legs around his waist. "I won't let her hurt you Kenna." He looked into her eyes. "I promise."

"I know. And I won't let him hurt you. We're stronger than them." He pulled her close and rolled on his back taking her with him. "What was it we were fighting about anyway?"

"Who the hell knows? I think I might have left the toilet seat up or something." Kenna smiled.

"I guess we'll just have to forget about it then."

"Well we did just have make up sex like three times." Eliot looked at her. "Let's get some sleep. The next few days are going to be long and hard." Kenna giggled. "What are you like twelve?"

"I didn't know you liked the younger girls." She wiggled down lower hoping he would get the hint that she wasn't ready to go to bed quite yet.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

The plane touched down at the Lexington airport. The July sun was hot and the humidity was nearly unbearable. It was going to be a really long week if the heat stayed. Eliot and Kenna stood at baggage claim waiting for their bags.

"I don't remember it being this hot." Eliot grumbled.

"It never was when we were kids. You never did like the heat. How did you spend so much time in the desert?"

"Dry heat." Kenna looked at him. If she was nervous about being back in Kentucky he was damn near on the edge.

"I told Jodi we'd stop by and see her on the way out." Eliot turned to her and glared.

"You did what? Kenna I can't see her now."

"Why not? We're here and Kyle will be over the moon to see you."

"We have a job to do."

"And it can wait an hour so you can visit your sister and nephew. The kid thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

"I can't…Jodi will know."

"Know what Eliot? That you've done bad things? She knows we both have things we can't share with her."

"Not that…she'll know that we…you and me…we've…"

"Had sex?"

"_OVERSHARING PEOPLE!" Hardison said in their ears._

"Kenna…"

"Had wild animal sex…screwed like rabbits? That's what you're afraid of?"

"_Coms are on my friends please stop sharing!" Hardison was on the freeway heading toward Winchester. "Please."_

"I'm not afraid. She just doesn't need to know."

"Like I'm going to tell your baby sister that her big brother ravishes me at least three times a night."

"_Three times a night!" Hardison interjected._

"Hardison!" Both Kenna and Eliot yelled at the same time.

"_Now you hear me. I have things I need to get out of my head. Take your coms out till you done with all the bickering please. I'll see you in Winchester. You all got like three hours to face baby sister and get down here."_

"Yeah whatever." Eliot took out his com and put it in his pocket. Kenna did the same.

"Sorry, I just wanted you to shake it off." Kenna said as she looked at him.

"Yeah well darlin' my mood sucks and it ain't going get any better so live with it." He grabbed their bags and headed to the car rental desk.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

Jodi Spencer was as different from her brother as day and night. She was blond, brown eyed, calm, and happy most all of the time. Kenna directed Eliot to the small Lexington suburb where the grass was neatly mowed and the kids played out on the street. It was Jodi's dream and she was living it. Eliot was glad she got out from under the fist of Winchester before it came crumbling down. They stopped in front of a small clapboard house with a bike and a minivan in the drive way.

"If you want you can drop me off and I can meet you at the corner later." Kenna didn't look at him.

"You're her best friend Kenna. To be honest with you I thought this would be over long before we had to face her again." Kenna wasn't sure how she could take that.

"Yeah well we can fool Sophie into believing we are fighting maybe we can make sure Jodi thinks we're not sleeping together." Eliot looked at her. There was no way he could walk into his sister's house and Jodi not know there was something between them. Even back after that first night so many years ago she had known.

"Let's just go and get this over with." Eliot got out of the car and was to the other side before Kenna could blink. He opened the door for her and forced a smile. "Just don't expect me to be happy about it." Eliot turned when he heard a shout and a sturdy boy came running out of the house.

"Uncle Eliot!" The boy ran fast and hit him hard. Eliot caught the boy in his arms. Kenna smiled. She would be prying him out of here in a few hours.

"Hey sport. How's it going?" Kenna smiled and headed to Jodi who was standing on the porch in all her pregnant glory.

"Hey girl." Kenna hugged Jodi close. "Oh gosh I miss you."

"Well if you came and visited more you wouldn't miss me so much." Jodi pushed her away and looked her up and down. "You look great."

"So do you." Kenna looked at her friend. "How's it going?"

"Good. The doctor says she's fit as a fiddle…exact words." Jodi turned and watched her brother carrying her son on his back, walking up the driveway. "How's he doing?"

"He has his days."

"And you?" She watched Eliot listening intently to something Kyle was saying.

"I wish I could erase the last fifteen years and change the way he left."

"Mama know your coming?"

"Nope. We thought it best to just drop in. Road trip back home and all that."

"Billy is still a deputy. I'm not sure if the sheriff is on the take or not. Mama didn't say much about the things going on in Winchester."

"At least she got rid of Billy." Kenna watched as Eliot brought his nephew up the stairs. "Eliot's here so I'm chopped liver?" She asked the boy. He went from his uncle and flew into her arms for a big hug.

"I just saw you Aunt Kenna. I haven't seen Uncle Eliot in ages." The boy smiled.

"Jodi." Eliot nodded. The petite woman pushed passed Kenna and hugged her brother close.

"Don't ever stay gone so long again." She whispered in his ear.

"Yes ma'am." He hugged her not wanting that old familiar feeling to leave him. She smelled like their mama, honeysuckle and banana bread. "I missed you baby sister." He looked at Kenna and mouthed 'thank you' to her. She smiled and nodded. She knew Eliot needed this just as much as she did. He pushed his sister arms length away. "The 'berbs look good on you."

"I'd like to say hard living looks good on you big brother but mama never raised a liar." The both laughed. "I have some lemonade and air conditioning so let's go inside. They went into the house and tried to catch up as best they could in the time they had but all too soon it was over. The good-byes were sadder then Kenna could ever remember. The car was quiet as they headed to the freeway toward Winchester. Kenna put her com back in.

"We're on our way Nate."

"_How's Eliot?" He asked. _Kenna looked at him. She was sure he would never be the same after seeing Jodi's 3-D sonogram pictures.

"Never better."

"_You suck at lying to me, you know that right?"_

"I know. We'll be at the hotel in an hour."

"_Keep me posted." _Kenna turned her com off and looked at Eliot.

"Are we going to talk about it?"

"I can't keep her safe Kenna."

"Charlie can keep her and the kids safe. No one can trace her back to you. NO ONE." Eliot looked at her.

"How do you know?"

"Because Hardison has your back baby." She smiled but Eliot just stared ahead, driving on auto pilot. "I promise you Eliot, Jodi and her family are safe." She reached out and touched his arm. "Trust me." He looked at her. She had been his friend for nearly all his life. If he had to trust anyone it was her. Eliot reached for her and the impact of another car hitting them from behind nearly made him loose control.

"Damn it. I was so wrapped up in my crap I wasn't paying attention." He looked in the rearview mirror. "Hang on." Eliot pushed down on the gas and swerved around the car in front of him. He struggled to put his com in his ear as the big car behind them. "Hardison get some PD out on the highway. I got a black BMW on my ass looking to take us out."

"_You got it Eliot." _

"Kenna in my bag there should be some throwing stars and a couple of stop strips, get them." She crawled back into the back seat.

"How and the hell do you ever get past airport security is beyond me." Eliot shook his head.

"That's all Hardison."

**(Flashback)**

Eliot's bag going through the x-ray machine and Hardison hacking into the airport cameras sending a perfectly none descript picture to the machine.

**(Present)**

Kenna pulled the stars and strips out.

"I got a straight away with no traffic coming up I want you to roll down the window and throw the stop strip down."

"Eliot maybe you should do this." He looked back in the mirror.

"You want to drive?" She looked back and then at Eliot.

"Not really."

"Then throw the damn strip." Kenna pushed the button for the window and watched at the car got closer.

"You need to get a little ahead of them or…." The car hit them again with such force Eliot's head hit the steering wheel and bounced back.

"Don't you think I know that!" He growled at her. "Hardison I don't see lights and sirens behind me."

"_It's because there's a big…parade in some back water suburb and they are all stuck on the back side of it... If I get somebody from the other way you'll be busted and man I don't want to have to bail you out of jail tonight. It's like a hundred and twenty in the shade."_

"Stop your bitching and get us some back up Hardison." Kenna screamed at him.

"_Oh great he turned her into him!" _The car weaved and Eliot pulled in front of the car it hit them one more time before Kenna got a chance to throw the spike strip. The sharp metal dug into her skin as she tossed it out the window. It hit the pavement and the BMW hit the strip and lost control flipping into the ditch.

"Nice shot." Eliot looked back in the mirror and saw the blood. Kenna grabbed one of his t-shirts and wrapped it around her forearm. "How bad?"

"Bad enough. Get us to the hotel. I may be able to stitch it up." Eliot looked at Kenna's eyes. They were bright and angry so he knew.

"What if you can't?" He asked.

"Then you have to do it." She crawled back into the front seat. "I owe you a shirt."

"If you don't bleed to death it will be payback enough."

"Wanna take bets who's trying to kill us already?" She tightened the shirt on her arm.

"Billy couldn't afford a pickup truck let alone a BMW." Eliot looked in the rear view just to be safe. "The new mayor may have heard we were coming."

"Or whoever is dating my mama this week. She always loved a man with a BMW." Kenna laid her head back and looked at the mile markers go by. Coming home was a lot harder than it used to be.


	3. Chapter 3

The Long Road Home Job

Chapter Three

Eliot pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked in front of the room Nate and the rest of the team were in. He opened Kenna's door and helped her out. Parker was waiting to open the door. The hitter had seen better days and the paramedic didn't look much better.

"Heads up." Kenna said to Hardison and threw him her phone. "I got some pictures of the BMW and the driver. I can't promise anything but then again I was a little busy." She went to Nate who had her medical bag. He sat her down on the bed. She didn't flinch as he took the t-shirt off the wound.

"Nothing like taking one for the team Hawks." He smiled at her. She looked at the long jagged cut on her arm. Sophie left the room.

"It wasn't by choice. This is what I get for playing with Eliot's toys." Eliot clenched his teeth and snarled at her.

"How long as he been like that?" Nate whispered.

"His whole life." Kenna grabbed an ice pack from her bag and cracked it. "Here, put this on your head." She threw it at Eliot. He caught it in one hand and put it on the bump forming on his head. Hardison loaded the pictures from Kenna's phone and putting them up on his screen. Eliot looked over the hackers shoulder.

"Holy…Kenna are you seeing this?" She looked up at the computer screen. Kenna stood. Nate moved and let her pass by. She pressed the t-shirt against her wound.

"It can't be. No. Eliot…" Kenna looked at him.

"Who is it?" Nate asked from behind Kenna.

"Simon LaForce." Eliot said as he turned to Nate.

"Simon LaForce is dead Eliot. Jackson Mann found the file about his death in Mexico. Kenna killed him and you hid the body. I was thinking that that would be something you wouldn't forget." Parker said as she looked at the computer screen. Kenna went back to the bed and took out some supplies.

"Kenna, you lost a lot of blood." Nate went back to her. He looked at the wound. "Are you going to be able to take care of this?"

"Oh yeah. You find out why the hell Simon LaForce is still alive and still trying to kill me." She looked at Eliot. "He was dead when I left him, how about you?"

"As a door nail." He looked at Kenna's wound for the first time since she took the t-shirt off. "Holy crap Kenna you need to go to the hospital." He looked at it as she cleaned the area. "Really, you need to go to a hospital."

"I'm fine." She took out a needle and some sutures.

"You're going to stitch up your own arm?" Parker wrinkled up her nose.

"Unless someone else is in the mood to do it." She looked at Eliot. "I need you hold it together or it'll be gaping." He kneeled in front of her.

"I'm sorry." Eliot didn't look her in the eye. "I should have been more careful."

"Eliot come on. If it is Simon, he was after both of us." She expertly stitched up her arm. "It'll give me character." She smiled. He didn't.

"We should have never come here."

"We need to settle this and make this town right again."

"You can't make something right that was never right in the first place Kenna. Corrupt politicians, dirty cops who beat their wives, mother's who pimp out their kids. Winchester isn't worth saving." Eliot ground out.

"Are they going fight again?" Parker asked Hardison.

"I think so." Parker made a hasty exit. Hardison looked at Nate. He nodded and Hardison headed for the hills to.

"Okay, I know there is a lot of bad blood between your families and you but this town has good people and good people need to be saved." Nate looked at them both. "And a dead man has to be found."

"Okay." Eliot conceded. "We help whatever good people are left and I'm gone and I'm never looking back. I don't even have to worry about Jodi."

"You two get some rest and we will hit this again in the morning." Nate looked at Kenna. "Do you need anything for the pain?"

"No, I'm good. We should check on the crash. That car flipped three times that I saw before it landed in the ditch."

"Hardison will keep me posted." He handed Eliot a key. "Room five." Eliot grabbed Kenna's first aid bag and waited for her at the door.

"Go easy on him Kenna. He looks like he lost a few years tonight." Nate looked at his hitter at the door.

"I almost had him convinced that being happy now and then was an okay thing." She hugged Nate and headed out the door.

/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna lay on the couch listening to the sound of Eliot in the shower. She knew his routine by heart. He stood under the shower for two minutes just letting the water cascade down his body with his back to the shower. He spent three and a half minutes shampooing, rinsing and repeating. Then he spent another five minutes lathering from head to toe and the next four minutes rinsing off. Eliot was a creature of habit. Unless she was sharing his shower he spent he spent fifteen minutes from beginning to end in the shower. It was the little things like that she cherished on the days they both woke up mad at the world. She knew today was one of those days. Even though they hadn't gone to bed yet she knew tomorrow would be one of those days. Snuggling deeper into the blankets Kenna fell asleep wishing for a day without regret.

Eliot got out of the shower and wiped away the steam off the mirror. God he looked like hell. If heeifi didn't at least trim his two day beard he would probably scare Kenna half to death. 'The hell with it.' He thought. His day had been an emotional roller coaster and he didn't much feel like worrying about Kenna or anyone else. He slid on his jogging pants and opened the door. The bed was empty. Kenna must have sensed his needed a little space. He got into bed and looked over to the couch. She was sleeping. He knew every level of her sleep patterns from drifting off to the deep sound sleep she would fall into after a hard night. They were slipping into a routine of fighting and making up so often he didn't know where the fighting started and the making up ends. Closing his eyes he tried to shut the last twelve hours and maybe tomorrow things would look better. He doubted it but it was worth a shot.

/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna woke up with her arm throbbing and sweat poring off her skin three hours later. She reached for her bag under the coffee table and got a syringe of morphine and jabbed it in her shoulder. It was something she tried not to do but the pain was too intense.

"Can I get you something?" She heard Eliot from the bed.

"I stiff drink would be nice." Eliot got up and went to the mini bar. He came back to the couch and handed her a bottle. "Thanks." She chugged it and lay back down.

"You need to see a doctor."

"I'm fine. It hurts a little but I'll be fine."

"Did you take some antibiotics?"

"Yeah.

It'll be okay in a few days." Eliot sat on the arm of the couch and brushed the hair out of her face.

"We don't have to do this Kenna."

"Yes we do. For your mom if not anyone else. She worked hard to keep that land in your family. Even if you and Jodi don't want it maybe Kyle will." Kenna laid her head on Eliot's knee.

"You have the power to pull the plug on this one."

"So do you." Kenna closed her eyes. Eliot kissed to top of her head and headed back to the big empty bed and tried to get a few hours of decent sleep.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Three hours later Eliot left the bed and checked on Kenna who was sleeping soundly. He went outside to find Sophie sitting on the bench between their rooms.

"You're up early." He sat next to her.

"I can't seem to find a comfortable temperature inside." She looked at the hitter. "How's Kenna?"

"She resorted to morphine so I'm thinking she's not doing so well."

"Kenna's a smart cookie Eliot. She'll tell if she needs to do more."

"But she's so damn stubborn."

"But she knows you have her back Eliot. No matter how much you fight you both know that."

"I guess."

"Today is going to be a long day if you're up at four in the morning."

"I don't need more than an hour of good sleep."

"Then go in there and make sure you get that hour. I'll have coffee at seven." Sophie stood up and headed into her room. Eliot looked out into the dark Kentucky night and thought about what was in store for them today. Not liking where those thoughts were going he got up and went back into his room. Kenna was still sleeping peacefully. He went to the couch and lifted her gently and carried her to the bed. He lay down next to her and she snuggled next to him.

"You okay?" She asked drowsily.

"I am now." He answered. Closing his eyes he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna was up at six and out of bed wondering when she had crawled into bed with Eliot. She really didn't care. She wrapped her arm in plastic and took a quick shower. Booting up her lap top she starting looking for something that would make it possible for Simon LaForce to still be alive after all this time. An hour later that's where Eliot found her. On the floor with papers spread out around her on the coffee table.

"Morning." He looked at her. "What's going on?"

"I'm trying to find a reason that Simon LaForce is still breathing."

"Isn't that Hardison's job?"

"I know but I felt a little helpless." Her hair was wet and she was in her robe. She never looked more beautiful to him.

"Sophie promised coffee at seven so I'm going next door to get some."

"Okay." She kept reading the screen in front of her. He left and went next door. Nate and Sophie were sitting on the bench outside.

"Sleep well?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah. Hardison up?"

"Yeah, he's in the room." Eliot nodded and went into the room.

"He seems better today." Sophie commented.

"A little." Nate answered. He needed his hitter a hundred percent. "Maybe he needs a pep talk."

"I think a cup of coffee and explanation on the whole Simon LaForce things would work nicely."

"Let's hope Hardison has both." Nat got up and headed back into the room.

/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

Eliot poured two cups of coffee and went to the fridge and grabbed a soda for Hardison. He was sitting at the desk tapping away at the keys at his lap top.

"Anything yet?" Eliot asked as he set the soda down next to Hardison and tossed the three empty bottles that were next to him.

"I found some possible relatives." Hardison brought up the photos. But nothing that looks like him. Nate came up behind Eliot.

"We'll figure this out." Kenna rushed though the door.

"I found him." She put her lap top next to Hardison's on the table.

"What, you're hacking now?' He looked at Kenna

"No, just research." She hit a button. "Simon dated like a million woman including my mom. I figure the guy to be about the age Simon was when he died so I looked up the state birth records." A picture popped up. It was Simon LaForce…or someone who looked exactly like him. "Storm Broderick was born July fifteenth nineteen sixty-eight. His mother was Ruby Broderick."

"She was a waitress down at the Rolling Ace's." Eliot remembered the older woman. She was always letting him and his friends in Ace's to shoot pool.

"Yeah, her and my mom hung out for a time. They partied like there was no tomorrow in the eighties. If Broderick thinks I'm coming to claim his birthright it might have made him plenty mad." Eliot looked at the man and his record which Hardison had brought up on the screen.

"Well the man does have a temper. He's been arrest several times for assault and battery." Kenna looked at the screen.

"By Deputy Billy Callahan." Kenna looked at Eliot.

"And did any of those charges stick?" Kenna shook her head. "Billy liked taking bribes. Might still like taking them, given the right motivation."

"Billy Callahan might be intimidated with the man you've become Eliot." Kenna said as she stood. "I'm going to get dressed." She knew she needed to leave the group to let them talk out the plan between them and she still wasn't quite sure they trusted her with all the technical stuff. When Kenna left Eliot looked at the four people left in the room.

"This isn't what we signed up for." Eliot said.

"You want to pull out?"

"I want to be sure this thing is by the numbers. I don't want to mess this up so killers and dirty cops go free."

"Didn't Kenna say your sister's boyfriend worked for the Lexington Police Department?" Nate asked.

"As a mechanic. He used to work for the sheriff's department here but Billy never quite forgave my mom for divorcing him and when he found out Charlie was dating my sister things got a little…awkward.

"Okay, we're going to find out why this town is so important to the big business that's buying it up, find out if the mayor is corrupt, if the police department is corrupt and figure out why they aren't buying up the land surrounding Eliot's mom's farm all without Eliot and Kenna losing their sanity or their lives." Eliot looked at Nate and shook his head.

"Nate this isn't one of in and out cons man. This is real life, hard core; we need to get it right the first time kind of job. There is no plan B, C, D or F."

"So we get it right the first time."

"When was the last time we got it right the first time?" Eliot looked at his team.

"Well there was…or the… oh I know…." Parker said but then shook her head. "How do we do that Nate?" She looked at the brains of the group.

"Very carefully." He said pouring another cup of coffee. "First stop…Eliot's mom." Eliot took his coffee and headed back to his room.

"Don't sound so damn happy about it." Eliot said as he slammed the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

The Long Road Home Job

Chapter Four

Eliot stopped at the end of the drive. He knew that the demons that he ran from so many years ago were gone but he they still seemed so fresh and new. He looked at Kenna sitting next to him. She looked a little pale herself.

"Ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be." Kenna looked at the old farm house as Eliot drove slowly up the drive. The house looked so much smaller than it did when she was younger. The car stopped and she took a deep breath. This was going to be harder for him then it was for her. Eliot looked in the back seat at Nate and Sophie.

"Give us a few minutes."

"Take all the time you need." Nate answered. Kenna and Eliot got out. They both stood in front of the car.

"She was never the enemy Eliot."

"She only slept with the enemy." He walked up onto the porch. Kenna waited at the bottom of the stairs. Eliot took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It took over a minute for the door to open but when it did and he wasn't sure he was ready for the reaction of the woman who answered it.

"I…Eliot…" The tears in the old woman's eyes and the grief on her face nearly broke what was left of Eliot Spencer's cold black heart.

"Hey mom." She looked at him and opened the screen door. She reached up and touched his face that he chose not to shave again this morning.

"You finally came home." She looked into his ice blue eyes that hadn't warmed in over a decade. Even with Kenna the ice never melted till now. "I should slap your face for putting me though hell Eliot Lee Spencer." The tears rolled down the old woman cheeks. The woman embraced her son and sobbed into his shoulder. Eliot turned his head to plea for help from Kenna but she was at the bottom of the steps with tears in her own eyes. He returned his mother's hug hopping the two people in the car and the other two in the van on the highway didn't sense his venerability like he knew Kenna could.

"I'm just in town for a couple days but we thought we'd stop by." The woman pushed her son arms length away and looked at him.

"We?" She questioned. Eliot stepped aside revealing a teary eyed Kenna at the bottom of the steps. "Oh dear God, Kenna Shane." The old woman opened her arms and Kenna went up the steps and into the embrace.

"It's been too long Ms Clara." She let the woman squeeze her till she was nearly out of breath.

"I can't believe you two found each other again." Clara looked at her son and her daughter's best friend. They didn't look like life had been treating them right lately. Her son had a bruised cheek that was several days old and Kenna was favoring her right arm. "Come inside and we'll have some tea and catch up."

"We have friends in the car waiting." Clare looked over Eliot's shoulder.

"Bring them with you. You're not leaving with just a front porch hello." The older woman turned and headed into the house. Eliot looked at Kenna. Taking a deep breath he took her hand in his and headed inside. Nate and Sophie had heard it all though their coms so he knew they would be right behind them. Eliot hopped that he could keep his new family from seeing what his old family had done to him.

"They don't care where you came from or where you've been Eliot. All they care about is the here and now." He hated when Kenna read him like a book. He would have to work on hiding things from her if he was every going to walk away from her with any shred of dignity.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

"It seems weird Eliot having a mom." Parker looked at the screen in front of her. Nate's button cam surveyed the cozy farm house.

"Everyone has a mom Parker." Hardison answered, trying to get a handle on the new mayor and his workings.

"But his kept him." She watched the screen. "She wanted kids and she raised her kids in a home. The same home."

"Yeah well not everyone who has kids are deserving of them." Hardison reached over and touched Parker's hand. "You okay?" He asked. Parker looked at him and smiled a half smile.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just checking." Hardison nodded and went back to his work.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

"That one was the rodeo he won in the tenth grade." Sophie was looking at the pictures on the mantle. Eliot's mom came up behind her. "He always wanted to ride. He got that from his daddy."

"I think he misses that the most." Sophie answered.

"He knows he's aways got a horse and a saddle here. He just chose not to return. But I understand."

"He just recently told us about your ex husband."

"Billy wasn't always a bastard but when he got to the wiskey he turned evil." Clara looked at Sophie. "He isn't the boy who left."

"But he's a good man Clara. That's all you need to know now." Sophie put her arm around the older woman's shoulder.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Kenna, Eliot and Nate walked down the dusty road that lead to the Hawks ranch. Kenna walked ahead few yards holding her shoulders high making it hard for Eliot to read.

"It went well with your mom." Nate said to him.

"So far." Eliot kicked a rock with his toe. "This is the hard part. I don't know if I can hold her back if Joelle starts spraying venom Nate." Eliot looked at his boss. "I don't know if I'll want to."

"You really think that she's that unstable?"

"No she's that stable. Joelle Hawks is beyond nasty bitch Nate. This woman is demon spawned and devil raised." Eliot looked at Kenna. "I don't about the others but it's a wonder Kenna isn't…"

"Kenna had your family…I don't believe much in the genes make a person Eliot. If a person is raised with good people they will become good people." Eliot knew Kenna wasn't always good. Just like him she had her secrets but she was never ever going to be like her mother. He had known that from the day Jodi brought her home.

"Too bad I didn't stay good people." Eliot chuckled.

"You just jumped the track for a few years. Now your back on track."

"Do you really think that Nate?"

"Three years we've been friends Eliot. I know there were a few times we bent an occasional rule or two but Eliot the track your on now will lead you to good things." Nate looked at the woman ahead of him. "Starting with her."

"Man you've been hanging around Sophie way too long." Eliot stepped up his pace and caught up to Kenna. "Five more oaks and a cypress." He said in her ear.

"I think I'll stop at the third oak and throw up if that's all right with you." Eliot put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"You my friend are one of the strongest people I know. You can do this." Kenna stopped at the third oak and looked at the rundown farm house that wasn't so run down anymore.

"She fixed the place up."

"It's been years Kenna; she would have had to do something to keep up the place."

"No, since I was here in March. The paint, the roof, the porch. It's all new. The land has been cleared and grass planted. The garage was ready to fall down when I was here now it's gone and there's a car port with a shiny new car in it." Eliot tightened his grip on Kenna before she had a chance to pull away.

"Take a deep breath." He whispered in her ear. Taking out his phone he took a picture of the license plate. "Hardison run this plate."

"_You got it." Hardison answered. "Oh my, oh my. The car is registered to one Chester William Reed."_

"The Mayor?" Both Nate and Eliot said at once. Kenna turned and looked at the two men standing behind her.

"Really, she's doing the mayor?" Kenna looked back at the house. "Guess she's going for the big time payout. Sell her kids to the politicians." Eliot put his hand on her shoulder.

"We will get this guy and take your mom down with him. Kenna we need to hook her just like anyone else." Kenna took a long hard look at the house.

"Take a long hard look and follow the money Hardison. He had to have paid for this." Nate said.

"_I'm on it." _

"We need to get in there before someone wonders why we're all standing out her like this." Eliot stood next to Kenna. "You can do this McKenna." She nodded and headed toward the front door. She rang the bell that hadn't worked as long as she could remember. The bell chimed. A little girl about seven answered the door.

"Hello." Kenna swallowed hard. Eliot held his breath. The little girl was the spitting image of Kenna that first day Jodi brought her home.

"Hi." Kenna kneeled down to the little girl's level. "My name's Kenna, what's yours?"

"Kenzie." A man came behind the little girl. A big man. Eliot's protective instincts kicked in. Nate put his hand on the hitters shoulder.

"Let Kenna handle this for now." Kenna stood. The man towered over her five foot six frame. She smiled at the man.

"Hi. I'm looking for Joelle."

"And you are?" The man pushed the little girl to the side.

"Kenna…Kenna Shane Hawks." The man looked her up and down. Eliot took a step forward but Nate stopped him again.

"Will you stop that?" He hissed out between clenched teeth.

"She'll let you know when she needs you." Kenna stood confident and her chin held high. If she felt threatened she wasn't showing it. The man looked over her shoulder and saw the two men standing near the driveway.

"They with you?" Kenna turned.

"Yeah. They came to make sure Joelle lets me leave." Kenna folded her arms across her chest. She shifted her weight to see behind the man. Eliot relaxed a bit. "Are you coming out mama or do you want me to come in?"

"_Let her come to you baby. Let her come to you." Eliot whispered._

"What do you want here McKenna?" The years had not been good to her mama the last time Kenna had visited but she too had received a big time make over.

"I just came for you to confirm a few things for me. One being who my daddy is." Joelle laughed and lit a cigarette.

"You're thirty years old. What does it matter now?"

"I'm thirty one." She looked at the older woman. "Which makes you…?" Kenna looked at the man standing at the door. Joelle took a step forward and Kenna didn't move.

"You were always a brat." The step forward brought Eliot and Nate into view. "You still have that Spencer boy protecting your assets I see."

"That boy turned into a man and that man is way more pissed at you now then he was when he was twelve so you better just make sure you stay arms length away from me."

"_That's my girl." Eliot looked around the property. "Do you smell that?" _Kenna tilted her head. Eliot looked at Nate. _"That's meth." _

"_Kenna is she on anything?" Nate asked. Kenna shook her head._

"Do you really want to start airing our dirty laundry in front of your new sugar daddy?" Kenna looked the man up and down. "You're really much better looking than some of the others." Kenna leaned against the door frame so Hardison could get a good picture of the man. She smiled. "So should we play who's my daddy or what?"

"_That's not the mayor. It's his top aide Sinclair Davis. He's been involved in some small town politics and has been on the city council for about three years till Chester took office."_

"What kind of games are you playing Kenna?"

"They found Simon LaForce's body in Mexico. He owned the bowling alley and the land around it. If rumors are true me and a few of my siblings are owed what is rightfully ours." Kenna heard the rifle before she saw it but Eliot heard it first. He was up over the railing before Kenna grabbed her mother and pulled her out of the house. He yanked the gun out of a young boys hand and tossed it over the porch railing to Nate and grabbed the boy pulling him out of the house. Kenna pushed her mother against the railing. "Teaching them a little young aren't you mother."

"He was just protecting what's his." Kenna looked at the boy no more than fifteen that Eliot held loosely against the door frame.

"Kid you can have her because I'm though with her." Kenna pushed passed her mother and headed down the steps.

"Don't ever point a gun at another person unless you willing to kill them." Eliot ground out and let the boy go. He followed Kenna and Nate down the road. Things were not as they seem and they were getting more and more dangerous by the minute. Eliot wasn't liking the odds on this one and by the look on Nate's face either did he.


	5. Chapter 5

The Long Road Home Job

Chapter Five

Kenna leaned against the car and looked at the house she practically grew up in. Winchester had fallen on bad times before but if they went under this time there was no saving it. Good people would lose their jobs and maybe everything they had.

"That was defiantly meth I smelled." Eliot leaned on the hood next to her. He chewed on the stem of grass. Kenna looked at him. "Not hard to take care of a few crank addicts."

"When the crank addicts and dealers are connected to the mayor and his officials it could make it a little difficult." Eliot looked at Kenna.

"He could have shot you today."

"Tanner couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if it was right in front of him."

"You know the kid?"

"He's my sister Devon's kid. He lived in Denver with his dad till about a year ago. The kid got out of control so he sent him back to my mom. Last time I was here he tried the same thing after I took the old ladies boyfriend out."

"You left that out of your story." Eliot smiled.

"Kinda though you would have gone through the roof at that one." Kenna looked at Eliot's mom sitting on the front porch swing with Sophie and Nate. "What do you think Sophie's mom is like?" Eliot shook his head.

"Grifters are born to grifter." He looked at his mom. "I used to think my mom was just as bad as Billy."

"So did I and then I married Jimmy." Kenna stood up. "Eliot I need you to promise me you won't do something stupid."

"Why?"

"Just promise me."

"I never do anything stupid Kenna." Eliot turned to see the sheriff's car pulling into the driveway. "But there's a first time for everything." Nate and Sophie stood on the porch next to Eliot's mom as the car came to a stop. "Go on the porch with Nate and the others."

"I'm not leaving you with him." Billy Callahan wasn't a big man by any means but he was a man with a temper. He stood only five foot nine but he always seemed much bigger. He got out of the car and Kenna knew that life had not been kind to the man. He looked far older than his sixty years and far more vulnerable then he had ever been.

"Spencer." Eliot looked at the old man.

"Callahan." Kenna knew better than to step between the two men but she was afraid for Eliot.

"Kenna's mama says you paid her a visit."

"The girl had some questions…that's all."

"Her mama is not someone you want to mess with anymore Eliot." The older man looked at Kenna then up to the porch. "You mama doesn't need that kind of trouble when you're gone."

"She left you so I thought maybe all her troubles were gone." Billy chuckled.

"That sounds about right. Till you came home. Stay out of Joelle's business Eliot. This is your only warning." Billy touched the brim of his hat toward the people on the porch and got back in the car. He backed up and headed down the drive. Nate came off the porch.

"I hate to say this but we are way out of our league on this one." Kenna looked at Nate.

"We don't really know how deep the corruption runs. If Billy was on the take he would have run us out of town instead of just warning us about Joelle." Eliot looked toward the west.

"Maybe a call to the DEA or the FBI will shut her down and save us the hard work."

"How many kids do you think are in that house Kenna?" Nate asked.

"At least four. The girl, Conner and two other teenagers. I saw the other two near the barn when we were walking away." Kenna looked at Eliot. The coldness was back. If it was Billy or Joelle that put it there she didn't know.

"Alright, we need a plan that takes out the bad guys and get's this town back on their feet." Nate looked at Eliot's mom on the porch. "They did a core sample where the four parcels of land meet. There is nickel and copper."

"Who paid for the sample?" Eliot knew his mom couldn't afford that kind of testing.

"Sinclair Davis."

"So the meth is paying for the soil samples." Eliot didn't like where this was heading.

"We need to get back to the hotel and see if we can connect all these pieces before we go head long into a trap or worse." Nate looked at Eliot. "Your mom is a great lady by the way." Nate headed back to the porch to say his good-byes.

"I for one need a drink." Kenna started back toward the house. Eliot watched his friends say good-bye to his mother. He waited till she was alone on the porch before he headed to say his own farewell.

"You don't plan on coming back do you?" She looked at him.

"You wouldn't be safe if I did." He looked out at the land around him. "I'm not proud of some of things I've done mom but right now I'm doing a lot of good for a lot of people. Someday I want to sit on this porch and tell you everything but right now I have to go." He turned to her. "You know I love you right?" He bit his lower lip.

"I know. And I know you love this land because you paid off the bank note."

"I knew Kyle would want to be part of this." He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "You stay safe."

"You should talk. Kenna should be the one you should be worrying about. Joelle isn't the push over she used be son. She will eat that girl for dinner."

"You don't Kenna very well then. She can take care of herself and then some mom." Eliot looked at his mother. "I promise not to stay gone this time." He hugged her one last time and headed to the car.

/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Hardison was busy while Kenna and Eliot were burning bridges. He was already set up at the hotel when the other four got back to the room. Parker had made everyone hot chocolate even though it was nearly a hundred degrees outside.

"I was board." She said when Nate walked in and she handed him a cup. Nate looked at her and smiled. What else could he do? The other three entered and she handed them each a cup.

"Okay this is what I got. The mayor is clean as a whistle. Sinclair Davis on another hand is a big fish in a little pond. He was on the fast track in Lexington elite till a bad divorce took him to Winchester."

"How does ones marriage get so bad they need to run to Winchester?" Sophie asked.

"She took everything including his political contacts. So when Chester Reed was looking for some juice they hired Davis. He knew how to play the game. Reed was small time but Davis took him to the bigs." Hardison clicked to the next screen. "Which brings us to Joelle Hawks. She's been everything from barmaid to the town meter maid. She has gotten nothing more than a barking dog citation. She has twelve…" Hardison looked at Kenna. "Twelve? Really, twelve kids. Our client Shane is the oldest, y'all knew that. None of the other's pop up on the radar. The three youngest Sierra, fourteen, Nadia, twelve and McKenzie, seven live with her along with Tanner Blain, fifteen and Kelly Jackson, seventeen."

"Kelly is my sister Mia's daughter from her first marriage. Her dad was in Iraq and was killed. My sister had a break down and sent her to live with my mom. I guess they don't check before they place kids now a days." Kenna stood behind the couch and looked at the screen. "Sorry Hardison."

"You know the family stuff better than I do." Hardison smiled. "She's come into some money the last few years. Seems some of her baby daddies have been found. She's getting nearly ten thousand dollars a month from the state of Kentucky for back child support." Eliot watched Kenna. The anger in her eyes was unmistakable.

"Take a breath Kenna Shane and shake it off." He turned to her. He wanted her angry, needed her pissed.

"Eliot that's enough." Nate looked at his hitter.

"She can't be here Nate. She'll only trip us up." She glared at him.

"Just let Hardison finish and I'll do what needs to be done to make this work." She crossed her arms over her chest. Hardison clicked to the next screen.

"The whole Winchester Sheriff's department is mostly clean. Billy Callahan has over looked a few infractions in his day. Mostly drunks and a B and E now and then. The rest of the force seems clean. Now let's play connect the bad guys. Davis is in bed with a meth dealer from Lexington. He thought he could raise some funds cooking up meth in the back woods. The money he gets is siphoned though the mayor's office and the city budget." Hardison clicked to the next screen. "This is Jarrod Kane. Bad man. White supremacist with a Harvard law degree and enough business men in his back pocket to buy up the whole county. He's controlling a whole lot of these land sales. From what the soil samples say the land under Joelle's land had the most copper in it but the other three parcels are nickel and zinc based."

"So why aren't they buying those out those?" Parker looked confused.

"There is no amount of money that they could offer these people. The potential fortune buried there is astronomical." Eliot answered. "Davis is already in bed with Joelle so if she thinks he's her savior she will do what she has to, to make him stay even if it means signing away mineral rights to her land."

"Well they're not going to wait out the others." Nate said. "We need to get into city hall and see what Davis has up his sleeve. Sophie I think this calls for the Mulberry Bush." Eliot shook his head.

"Now I know you made that one up." Eliot looked at Nate.

"Oh I know this one." Parker jumped up and down. "You run circles around the mark till they're so dizzy the give up." Eliot looked at her.

"Some days Parker…."

"She's kind of right. We run scam upon scam on the whole bunch of them till they turn on each other." Nate answered. "We just need to plant a few seeds of doubt in all their minds." Nate looked at his team. "Where's the best place to start a little gossip around here?"

"The Rolling Ace's. It's in the middle of town and most people stop there sooner or later." Eliot answered.

"Then let's go plant some seeds." Nate stood and led the way out the door.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

The bar was busy for a Thursday and Eliot was afraid they would run into more than one person he knew from his old life. He knew the chances were slim to none that they would get in and out without anyone recognizing him.

"Can you handle visiting the old haunts?" Nate asked as they found a table.

"Hell yeah, I just need a beer to do it." The waitress came by and took their order. "We're getting some nasty looks." Eliot commented.

"Well when they hear what we have to say they may not get any better." Kenna came in with Sophie and looked around finding Nate and Eliot in the back. You'd think the men in the place hadn't seen a woman in a month the way the two women dodged advance from a dozen different men. But the hooting and hollering stopped when Kenna slid into the booth next to Eliot and kissed him.

"Guess a girl can't be lonely for too long in this place." She smiled. Eliot grabbed her waist and pulled her close.

"Did they get off okay?" He whispered in her ear. She nodded as he kissed her neck.

"The four of them are on their way to Disneyworld as we speak." She curled into him and looked at Nate. She felt Eliot relax knowing his sister and her family and their mom was safe and sound. "I have my mom on the hook. She wants in on our little deal." Kenna's voice wasn't loud but her tone carried over several tables. "She said not to worry about Reed because he's clueless about everything and she's got Davis under her thumb."

"What about the police?"

"I have a whole lot to hold over their heads if they decided to give us a problem." Kenna looked around. She knew a lot of these people when she was younger but now they were strangers. Strangers involved in things she didn't want to think about. Sophie brought a round of shots.

"Eliot the bar tender says these are on the house but you owe her two pool cues, a cue ball and thirty-seven steel tip darts." Eliot looked up and Ruby Broderick was still behind the bar. Same welcoming smile, same don't mess with me style. He raised his shot glass and nodded, drinking it down.

"I wonder if she knows her son tried to kill us." Eliot ground out though his teeth.

"He's in the corner watching us if that's any consolation." Kenna smiled.

"Not making me feel any better baby." He answered. Kenna stiffened. He had always called her baby and darlin' even when they were just friends, but something about the way he said it just then sent a chill down her spine.

"I'm going to play some pool. Anyone want to join me?" Kenna got out of the booth.

"Yeah, rack 'em up Kenna." Eliot watched her leave the table. "And three, two, one." A man stepped in front of Kenna. "She's a walking, talking, breathing bag of trouble." Eliot watched her closely. She was relaxed and stood strong when the man tried touching her. Eliot held his breath.

"Are you just going to sit here?" Sophie asked him.

"She's doing just fine." She pushed passed the man and went to the pool table and deposited the quarters in the table and began to rack the balls. Eliot slid out of the booth and headed to the bar. He slapped a hundred dollar bill on the bar. "Ruby, this is for you and I need two bottles of Bud Light darlin'." He put another twenty on the bar. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Kenna chalked up her pool cue. The vultures were watching her as well and she knew it.

"Here ya go sugar." Ruby handed him his beers. "It's good to see you again." She smiled. "Your mama has been missing you something awful." He took a swig of his beer.

"I went out to see her today. She looked good."

"She's good at hiding her grief. Don't stay away so long this time kid." She smiled at him and went to wait on other customers. Eliot turned back to the pool table and Kenna was leaning over breaking the balls. It had gotten really quiet so when the cue ball hit the others it sounded like thunder. Eliot grabbed a stick off the rack and watched Kenna sink four more balls before she finally missed. He handed her a beer and she took a step back. She was wound tight and he wasn't sure if it was from the surroundings or something else. He leaned over and sunk ball after ball until he finally missed. He looked up to see Storm Broderick standing in front of Kenna. He straightened and leaned against his pool stick and watched the interaction.

"You can't have what's mine."

"Well big brother you just might have to share." She glared at him. "There's enough for both of us."

"You think we're the only ones who have dibs on LaForce's life. He slept with half the county." He looked at Eliot. "I suppose you're going to sick your guard dog on me?" Eliot shrugged.

"She's big girl." Eliot stood straight. "But you did damage my rental and made me throw my best stop strip out the window." Storm looked at Eliot and then at Kenna.

"This isn't over." Ruby had come from behind the bar.

"Yes it is, Storm. Leave the poor girl alone. Get the hell out of here and I will deal with you later." The old woman looked at Kenna up and down. "I don't know if I should tell you that you remind me of him or not."

"That might be a little hard to swallow." Kenna took a deep breath. "I hope he was better to you than he was to the rest of us." Eliot could see her knuckles turning white around the pool cue.

"Not better, just different." Ruby looked at the young woman. "Just be proud of what you've become Kenna forget where you came from." She turned back and headed back behind the bar. Kenna slammed the last of her beer and put the empty bottle on the shelf and made the next six shots without missing a beat. She sunk the eight ball and stood up. Eliot watched the storm brewing. He walked over to her and laid his hand on her shoulder. Kenna shrugged him off and replaced the stick in the holder and headed out the door.

"_You got her?" Nate voice asked in Eliot's ear._

"Yeah, make sure Hardison has Broderick." Eliot put his stick on the table and headed out the door. He was only a few seconds behind her but she wasn't anywhere near the entrance. He looked up the street and down. "_Kenna!" _Eliot hoped she still had her ear bud in. _"Kenna, answer me!" _He jogged down the street and found her ear bud on the ground in front of the post office. Then he heard her.

"You really don't want to do that." Eliot saw the glint of a knife in the ally a hundred yards away.

"You're really not so tough without your muscle." The man standing in front of Kenna slurred.

"Just go home Leo." She sounded like he was pushing her to her breaking point.

"You heard the lady. Go home and we all have a good night." Eliot said. The man turned.

"She's just like her mama Spencer. Flaunting her crap all over town."

"Having a drink at the bar isn't flaunting anything Leo." Eliot started skirting around the man so he could get between him and Kenna.

"Look at her…just like her mama. All legs and ass." The man turned and looked at Kenna. She hadn't moved. "Does she put out like her old lady Spencer?" Neither Eliot nor Leo saw it coming. Kenna grabbed Leo's arm and twisted it making him drop the knife. She drilled his head into her knee and tossed him to the ground. Eliot looked at her and the warmth he was used to seeing in her eyes was gone. Stepping over Leo she pushed passed Eliot.

"I'm going home. You'll have to clean up this mess without me." She headed back to the hotel. Nate and Sophie found Eliot in the ally a few seconds later.

"Eliot?" Nate looked at his hitter.

"If she wasn't broken before she is now." He looked at his boss. "Now she is really like the rest of us and I don't know how to fix it."

"Give her time Eliot. She'll get over it."

"Get over it, Nate. In the last ten minutes she's been told she looks like her pedophile father and shakes her ass like her slut mother. Tell me how you fix that. This was a job and now it got personal and it hurt the one person in the world I can't stand to see in pain." Eliot turned and headed after Kenna.

"This isn't good Nate." Sophie said.

"You think I don't know that? Neither one of them deserves this and I don't know how to make this work without them. We need them to fix this. Both of them."

"Neither of them can do what they came here to do Nate. We need to move on." Sophie stormed out of the ally. Nate looked up at the dark Kentucky sky and ran his hands though his hair. Coming home was never easy and now home was destroying the two people he need the most to make it all come together. Taking a deep breath Nate headed back to the hotel to see if he could put his team back together again.


	6. Chapter 6

The Long Road Home Job

Chapter Six

"What do you mean she's gone?" Eliot looked at Hardison and Parker.

"She came in grabbed her bag and said she was done and walked out the door."

"And you didn't think to stop her?" Eliot glared at the two people standing in front of him.

"Nobody said she wasn't allowed to leave." Parker scrunched up her face.

"How long ago?"

"Five minutes. Ten tops." Hardison said.

"Find her Hardison." He looked at Eliot and shook his head pointing to the desk. Two cell phones and two sets of ID's laid there. "I'm heading out to her mother's. You tell Nate and Sophie to stay here. I'm gettin' her back." Eliot stormed out the door and headed out into the night.

"Should we be worried?" Parker asked.

"Hell yeah, I just don't know who I should be worried about more at this point."

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

"You really are a lot like me Kenna." Joelle looked at her daughter.

"Don't compare me to you, ever. I got out of this one horse town and I would have never looked back if I didn't get these." She handed her mother some e-mails. "Seems the land is worth something after all."

"Who sent you these?"

"Hell if I know. I just know between your land and my so called daddy's land I should be rolling in cash anytime now. Then I walk into the place and you and your sugar daddy have a whole little business going on here. Selling meth to the locals your new dream job?"

"It pays the bills."

"So does all the back child support you get from, what six different daddies? If mine wasn't dead you'd be insanely rich. Your lawyer friend Kane find them all for you."

"Tell me what you want to stay gone Kenna." Her mother watched as she paced the room looking at picture and nick knacks.

"I want a cut of your business dealings. If you need to move the meth I got people in Boston that are looking for a good supplier. I can talk them into using you and paying you top dollar."

"You're not that kind of girl. I raised some floozies and some drunks baby but you…you were my golden child."

"Maybe because Eliot pulled me out of this hell hole before you tarnished me like the rest of them."

"Look at you now. Does he know you're a dealer?"

"He really doesn't care what I do when I'm not in his bed." Kenna leaned on the big wooden desk. "Do we have a deal?"

"How much of a cut?" The older woman looked skeptical.

"I should ask for twenty because you got a good thing going here but Billy already warned me that he's your guard dog in all this. So I'll settle for ten." Kenna stood up. She handed her mother a piece of paper with a phone number. "Call me when you get the okay from the lawyer and the deputy." She walked to the door and turned. "Get the kids out of this before they get hurt mother. They didn't ask to be brought up this way. None of us did." Kenna left the house and slammed the door. Before she got down the steps a hand clamped over her mouth and she was being carried down the steps and carried her over the rough terrain. She was shoved into the back of a van. It was dark but the man straddling her was more familiar then not.

"Have you gone and lost your mind Kenna Shane?" Eliot looked down on her. She shook her head. "Well you could have fooled me." He reached down and slipped an ear bud in her ear and brushed her hair from her face.

"All the bugs and camera's are in place Nate." She told him.

"_You okay Kenna, I mean really okay?" Nate asked._

"I'll let you know a little later." She pulled the ear bud out and pulled Eliot down for a kiss. Her heart was racing and the adrenalin was pumping harder then she had ever felt it. Pushing and pulling on his clothes she managed to maneuver him inside her with a satisfying moan.

"You are insane baby." He whispered as he moved with her. She smiled. The chill up her spine was a good thing this time.

"You wouldn't have it any other way darlin'." She gasped and pulled both of them over the edge.

o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/

"I'm too old for doing it in a vehicle, no matter how big." Eliot said as he pulled Kenna close.

"You might not want to tell Hardison we tarnished Lucille the second. He may never talk to either of us again." Kenna laughed. Eliot loved the sound. He hadn't heard much of it the last few days. He leaned over and kissed her and grabbed his shirt.

"We should get back to the hotel." Kenna sat up.

"Are you afraid Hardison will find out we were naughty in his baby." Eliot shook his head.

"You're really enjoying this aren't you?" Kenna let the t-shirt covering her fall. "Kenna Shane we have a big comfortable bed back at the hotel." He went to button his shirt but there wasn't any to button. "How am I going to explain this?"

"They aren't making shirts like they used too." Kenna pulled on her jeans. She watched Eliot as he pulled on his and stood.

"Is something wrong?" She shook her head.

"Did I do okay tonight?" Eliot smiled.

"You need to ask?"

"I don't mean that. I mean at the bar…and with my mom." He pulled on his boots and looked at her.

"You know you did. You got the bugs and camera's planted just like you said you could." He kissed the top of her head. "You better get dressed woman or Hardison will see more of you then any of us would like." Eliot got into the driver's seat and started up the van.

/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Nate sat outside the hotel waiting for Eliot and Kenna to return. They had planted a lot seeds tonight and things were going to move fast from here on out. He hopped that Kenna and Eliot would be okay after this was all over. They both deserved to be happy after all they had been though. The van pulled up a few minutes later and Kenna got out. She looked a lot better then she had when she left the bar.

"How did it go?" Nate handed her a beer.

"Better than I had hoped." She sat next to him and watched Eliot straighten up after their little tryst.

"What's wrong with Eliot?"

"He doesn't want Hardison to know what we did in his van." Nate almost choked on his beer.

"I don't want to know." Kenna smiled.

"No you don't." She said as she played with the label of her beer. "When we get back to Boston I think its best I go back to just coming around when someone needs first aid."

"I thought you liked helping out around here?"

"I do but tonight…Eliot has enough to worry about and honestly I don't want him loosing focus because he's worried about me." She watched him get out of the van. "I'll always be around if you need me, I just don't think I want to make it an everyday thing."

"Did you tell Eliot?"

"He won't even know I'm not around." Eliot came up to them. Shirt unbuttoned and hair all messed up. Nate handed him a beer.

"Rough night at the office Eliot?" Nate smiled behind his beer.

"You told him?" Eliot looked at Kenna. She shook her head.

"I said nothing." She stood up. "I'm going to take a shower. Goodnight Nate."

"Night Kenna. Sleep tight." He watched the young woman go to her room. Eliot sat in the chair she vacated. "She did a hell of a job tonight Eliot."

"Yeah, she's one hell of good actress." He took a long drink of his beer. "Do you really think she can do what we do every day?"

"I think she can do the any job we give her but I think she's more comfortable being a paramedic and stitching you up when you need it." Eliot let out a long breath.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"Are you ever going to tell her you love her?" Eliot looked up at the sky.

"She knew what she was getting into when we started this Nate." He knew that someday they always thought about would never come for the two of them. They were too much alike. Too stubborn, to opinionated and too scared to ever be happy. And there was that price on his head looming over them all the time.

"As long as your happy going on this way, who am I to give you advice?" Nate got up.

"Sophie has a meeting with the mayor in the morning. He doesn't know you so I'm sending you in as her photographer. With all the seeds planted I want her to be able to get out."

"Will you stay with Kenna? I know she can take care of herself but we made a lot of enemies today."

"I'll take her and Parker to lunch. Keep them both out of trouble." Eliot chuckled. Standing up he threw is empty beer bottle in the trash.

"Thanks." He went to his door but stopped before opening it. "I do love her Nate. More than I want to…more then I should." Nate nodded. He knew the price Eliot could pay for letting himself have a weakness.

"We won't make you regret letting her into your life again Eliot. She can only make you stronger. Make you want to fight harder to come home at night." Eliot nodded and headed into the room. Kenna was curled up on the bed, her back to him. He felt the need to run deep in his gut. She was fire and the more he messed with her the more he was going to get burned.

"Kenna?" He whispered. He hoped she was in her deep, don't wake me up till morning sleep.

"Yeah?" She turned around. Her eyes were red and tears streaked her face.

"What's wrong?" He didn't go to her. He knew if he did he would lose what was left of his self control. She sat up and wiped her eyes with the sleeve the shirt she was warring.

"I guess I just needed to finish an extremely stressful night with a good old fashion cry. I tried to be done before you got back." Eliot went to the bed and sat down.

"You don't have to be afraid to cry around me."

"Yes I do. You hate weakness. You always have." She sniffled. He didn't confirm or deny it. He stood up and went to the window and looked out at the stars.

"You know that what I do puts my life on the line every single day. And what I've done makes it even worse. I just can't worry about how it's going to affect the people around me." He turned and looked at her. "Nate and the others know what life on the run is like."

"And I don't?" She stood up. "Up until a few months ago I was on the run. I moved so often I didn't know what time zone I was in." She stood in front of him. "I may not know what it's like to have countries fighting over who wants me dead more but I know what that feeling deep in your gut is that tells you to run even though you know you're safe."

"I guess you do understand more then I give you credit for." She touched his cheek.

"See if we talk more and fight less maybe we will realize that we aren't so different." He took her in his arms and held her close. If he was going to fight for anything he wanted to fight to keep what they had together. If it meant letting himself open up a little more maybe he could make this work. He kissed her then. Soft and slow. The heat building inside him. Carrying her to the bed without breaking the kiss, he did something neither one of them had done in their lives for a long time. He took it slow.


	7. Chapter 7

The Long Road Home Job

Chapter Seven

Kenna sat across from Parker at the diner down the street from the hotel. The young thief was staring at her ice tea like it had grown horns. She stirred then stopped waiting to the ice stopped spinning before she would do it again.

"Okay Parker, enough with the tea." Kenna said with a sigh.

"Sorry. I just…I don't remember my family. I mean the people who gave birth to me. So I don't know if they were nice or not."

"Better not knowing, I say." Kenna looked up when she heard the door chime. Nate walked in with a taller man. Kenna wasn't sure if she should run or stay and chew Nate out.

"Look who I ran into." Nate sat next to Kenna to keep her from bolting out the door. Her brother Shane sat next to Parker. "Parker this is Shane…Kenna's brother." She nodded and turned back to her tea.

"Shane." Kenna wanted to lose herself in her tea too but she knew Nate would never let her do that.

"How have you been Kenna?"

"Good. You?"

"Not so bad. Cherri and I are making plans for the wedding. She wanted on her parent's farm but they've been a little leery. Mr. Ford thinks you've got a handle on what's going on."

"I hope so." Kenna was sure what he wanted. "Shane…I'm sorry this place isn't what you remember. The people here have always been bad."

"Not all of them." He looked at her. "I'm sorry you think that I abandoned you Kenna." He looked at Nate and Parker. Shane was a proud man by nature but he knew these people were not ones to judge. "You might think that I wasn't there for you and the others but I couldn't." The waitress came and gave both Nate and Shane a cup of coffee and left.

"You did what you had to Shane." She pushed against Nate hoping he would let her out. He didn't.

"Kenna do think it was just Marcie and the girls that mom sold to the highest bidder?" He said between clenched teeth. "I left because I was no better off than them. You had Spencer to protect you. We didn't have anyone." Kenna felt Nate shift and she thought he might have gotten up but he reached for her hand knowing she needed him just then. "You were the lucky one Kenna." She swallowed hard and Nate squeezed her hand. Shane and Garret had been abused just like the rest of them. She had been lucky. That night her mother had come for her could have gone differently. She didn't have to let Kenna stay no matter how Eliot threatened her. It would have been so easy just to for Joelle to stanch her up and never look back.

"I'm sorry." Kenna whispered. "I didn't know. I saw Marcie and Devon…I wish I would of known."

"You were a kid Kenna. The days you came back were good ones. Those days she didn't…we didn't have to…" The man Shane had become after all he'd been though made Kenna proud to be his sister. He had no more control over what was happing to him than the others had but she hadn't seen it. She hadn't been there to see it.

"I guess I should...I don't know what I should do Shane."

"You and your friends are doing it Kenna. I know I said I mended fences with her but that's not entirely true. Cherri and I want to get those kids that are still there out of there and befriending her seemed the only way." Nate spoke for the first time.

"We already have that worked out when this all comes down. Do they have a safe place to go?"

"Cherri's parents are moving into to town. Her dad is sick and has to be closer to the doctor. I'm going to buy their farm. The house is huge and…I want to help." Kenna held back the tears for the second time in as many days.

"We can help." Parker said the words that Kenna couldn't get out. "We'll get the kids out." She could see Parker was fighting her own demons and right then Kenna realized they were more alike then she had ever thought.

"We'll get them out." Nate repeated, making sure both women knew he would make this right. Shane stood. Nate did too and Kenna slid out of the booth and hugged her brother. She knew that this would not only do her good but plant another seed in the game they were playing.

"Watch your back Shane." Nate said as he shook the man's hand. He walked out of the diner and Nate turned to Kenna. "I'd ask if your okay but I seem to be saying that a lot lately." Kenna smiled.

"I didn't know how bad the rest of them had it." She sat down and slid back to the corner. Before Nate could sit Sophie and Eliot walked in. The grifter looked rather happy with herself.

"I see your morning went well." Eliot sat next to Kenna and Sophie next to Parker as Nate grabbed a chair and sat at the end of the table.

"Oh my yes." She looked at Kenna but didn't say anything about her red rimmed eyes. "I think we have everything we need and then some. I planted more than enough to make him reevaluate his staff." Kenna felt Eliot's arm around her.

"What happened?" He asked softly. Kenna shook her head. Parker reached over and touched her arm.

"I think Shane wouldn't mind if you shared with the class." Parker smiled.

"It wasn't just the girls my mother was…she was doing it to the boys too." Eliot didn't know what to say. Pulled her close and clenched his jaw.

"What do we need to do to finish this?" He asked a Nate as Hardison came in and pulled up a chair.

"It's all unfolding. The meth lab will be busted within the hour." Kenna looked at Eliot.

"We need to get those kids out of there now." Eliot agreed. They left the diner and headed to Joelle Hawks farm. Eliot looked at Kenna.

"You up for this?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think I just might enjoy it." She smiled. "We're going home tonight, right?"

"You bet your ass." He watched the road. Kenna knew that when they got home things might not be what he needed. She might not be what he needed. She would give him the space he needed to work it out. They pulled up to the farm; Tanner was lying on the ground. "You check on him, me and Nate will go find the others." Eliot got out and Kenna went to the boy.

"Tanner!" She checked his pulse. "Tanner, come on kid." Kenna started CPR. Eliot went the house. The smell of meth was overwhelming. He put his bandana over his nose and mouth and handed Nate one.

"I got upstairs. You take down here." Nate nodded and started looking for the kids. Eliot found McKenzie huddled in the corner of a bedroom. "Come on sweetie." Eliot reached out his hand. "It's not safe up here." The little girl shook her head. "Its okay, your mom is waiting outside." That made the girl push herself farther in the corner. "Do you remember Kenna? She downstairs with Tanner."

"Tanner's not dead?" She whispered.

"No baby, Kenna's helping him." The little girl came and went into Eliot's arms. "That's my girl. Do you know where your sisters or Kelly are?"

"Maybe the barn. I haven't seen them since breakfast." Eliot brought the little girl downstairs. Nate had Sierra and Kelly. "You stay with them I'll go look for Nadia." He handed Kenzie to Nate and headed to the barn. Nate went to Kenna.

"How is he?"

"I can't see any injuries."

"He was in the lab." Kelly looked at Kenna. "Grandma was shouting at him. I don't know about what but he came out and fell to his knees."

"Call an ambulance. As soon as Eliot finds Nadia you and him take off." Kenna looked at Nate. "Take Eliot and the girls and go." She continued CPR on the young boy. "Promise me you'll get them out of here Nate."

"I will. What about you?"

"I'll be back in Boston before the sun rises tomorrow morning." Eliot came up and pushed Nadia next to Kenna. He looked like he had to fight his way from the barn.

"Six guys down in the barn." He swallowed hard.

"Take the girls and go." Eliot shook his head.

"I am not leaving you."

"I can take care of myself. If Billy gets here before you leave he will make this look like you were involved. NOW GO!" She breathed for the young boy again and didn't look up. She heard doors slamming and tires squealing as the sirens grew louder. "Come on Tanner. Don't give up. You have such a great life ahead of you." Kenna hopped she wasn't exaggerating. Shane had been a good big brother when she was home. She knew he would be a good father too.

O/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o

Eliot stood in front of the Kramer's farm house. Sophie had taken the four girls shopping for clothes before dropping them off at their new home. They were talking to her, Parker and Cherri. Shane came up to him.

"Thank you for all you and friends did today Eliot." Eliot looked at Kenna's brother.

"The new mayor has fired half his staff and the big money is pulling out. Winchester will be a one horse again soon." Nate and Hardison came up to the two men.

"The meth lab is shut down and the land will be given to you as soon as Joelle is sent to jail. Also all the land that LaForce owns will be divided amongst his many children." Hardison told them.

"Tanner's lungs were filled with fluid but Kenna got him just in time." Nate added. "He'll be able to come home in a few days." Nate handed Shane a file. "Kenna got your mom to sign custody of all five kids over to you." Shane looked surprised. "Your sister is quite the diplomat given the right incentive." Nate handed the man a check.

"What's this?"

"Seed money." Nate motioned for Parker and Sophie.

"Mr. Ford…I can't…" Eliot slapped the man on the shoulder.

"Take it. You have a family to feed now." Shane nodded.

"Tell Kenna…tell her that I'm sorry for not telling her sooner about…"

"She understands."

"Thank you for taking her away from all that back then. She was so small and so…helpless." Eliot nodded.

"Have a great life Shane." Eliot put his sunglasses on and headed to the car. "Are we picking up Kenna at the hospital?" He asked Nate.

"She didn't call you?"

"No."

"She called me an hour ago and said she would meet us back in Boston." Eliot put the car into gear and headed to the airport. Everything seemed fine this morning and up until having to save her sisters and niece and nephew from a meth lab. He wasn't sure what was going though her head but he was sure he wasn't going to like it when he found out.

0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/0

The plane touched down in Boston at midnight. Eliot just wanted to go home and forget his trip to Kentucky ever happened. He hoped Kenna could do the same. Hardison drove though town so it took forever to get back to home.

"Could you hit every red light?"

"If you like. Are you okay man, you've been a wreck since we landed."

"I'm fine."

"It's only been a few hours and your jonesing."

"What?"

"For Kenna. You haven't seen her or talked to her in six hours."

"Your nuts."

"You're in love with the girl Eliot, admit it." Eliot felt like punching Hardison. But he knew the hacker was right.

"Just shut up and drive Hardison." Eliot closed his eyes. What the hell was happening to him? He was getting soft. He was letting people into his life. He was becoming…human again. When was the last time he felt like this? Hardison pulled up behind the bar and Eliot got out without saying a word. He took the back stairs to his apartment. He hoped she would be there. Curled up in his bed with her cat. Throwing his bag on the chair he went to his room. The cat was there, curled up but his owner was nowhere to be found.

"Where did she go Topher?" He rubbed the cat's head. "Where the hell did she go?"

"She never got on the plane in Lexington." Nate stood in the doorway. "I have Hardison checking all of our resources."

"We shouldn't have left her at the farm."

"You would have been in more trouble than even you could get out of." Nate walked over to his hitter and handed him a file. "I promised Kenna that I would give you this when we got back."

"You knew she was taking off?"

"No. I thought she was going to be here when we got back so you could discuss it but I guess I was wrong." Nate looked at Eliot. "We'll figure this out Eliot. We will find her and bring her home." Nate turned and left. Eliot looked at the file. He turned it over and then opened it. It was Kenna's service records. It had just as many blacked out parts than his. Sitting down on the bed he read what he could and filled in as many blanks as he could. When he was done he knew why she had always been as secretive as he had about the last fifteen years.

"We have choices to make." Eliot looked up to see Kenna standing in the bathroom doorway.

"Have you been in there the whole time?"

"I borrowed some equipment from Parker." She threw the harness and rope on the bed. "I needed you to know the whole story before we talked." Eliot looked at the woman he spent the last fifteen years trying to forget and the last six months trying to live without.

"You wanted in more countries then I am." She smiled.

"Just two." He stood up. "Eliot…I don't want any secrets between us. Even if it means never having what we've had on and off for the last six months.

"You think just because you've never told me that you and I are in the same business that I would just want to end our relationship?"

"Is that what we have Eliot? A relationship? That's just a little too normal for us, don't you think?" He chuckled.

"Then what should we call it?"

"Maybe we should call it over." Eliot stood in front of Kenna and shook his.

"Really Kenna, is that really what you want?"

"I don't know what the rules are for what we have. We spend half our time together fighting and the other half making up. You've got to admit that's not healthy for anyone." She leaned against the door frame.

"So then this is it." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I find out your secret and you decided to end it."

"I'm not saying we should end anything. I'm saying we need to discuss out options." Kenna stood up straight and walked around Eliot and went to the bed. She leaned over and scratched her cats head. She looked at Eliot. "I'll cook dinner." Turning she headed out of the bedroom.

"Not in my kitchen." He followed her out of the room. The table was already set and the smell of baked chicken came from the oven. "I am getting soft." Eliot said looking around the room.

"If it's any consolation Parker helped me." Kenna leaned against the counter. "Whatever we decide tonight will be what has to be Eliot." She handed him a glass of wine.

"Do you know this is the longest we've been in the same room without touching one another since you moved to Boston?"

"See, we can talk things over like adults." He raised his glass.

"Touché'." Going to the oven she pulled out the chicken. "You really cooked?" He watched her ass as she bent over. He wasn't sure where this little powwow was going but he was going to love the view.

"Yeah. I mostly cooked at Nate's and brought it over here." She dished up the food and put it on the table. Eliot sat down across from Kenna.

"Another secret you've been keeping?"

"Your mama taught me the basics. My travels took me to Paris and a few other culinary hot spots." Kenna looked Eliot. "I know why you decided to take home ec your junior year but where did you learn the other stuff?"

"Same as you. Italy, Paris, India."

"I always wanted to go to India."

"Maybe we can go someday." Eliot said. Kenna smiled. There was that word again. Someday.

"Maybe." They ate in a comfortable silence for quite awhile.

"This is the longest we've gone without fighting or fu…."Eliot caught himself. What they did…it was a lot of things but it wasn't that. Kenna sat back and sipped her wine.

"We do both those things so well don't we Eliot."

"That we do." He leaned forward. "This is nice. Dinner, talking. I think we can do this darlin'."

"I just want to know if you're going to be in it for the long haul." Kenna leaned forward and they looked into each other's eyes. Winchester, Kentucky held nothing for them anymore. Maybe they would visit his mother or her brother but home would be right here in Boston with Nate, Sophie, Hardison, and Parker. It was where they both belonged. It had been a long road but finally they had a place to call Home.


End file.
